NBCAfter news broke that Bill Cosby's sitcom comeback was dead due to decades-old rape allegations against him resurfacing, another one of his projects has been axed...but this time, it's his oldest and most well-known project.
TV Land has pulled all reruns of The Cosby Show from its schedule, effective immediately.
The iconic NBC show ran for eight seasons and ended its run in 1992, but for the past 20 years The Cosby Show has been re-aired quite a lot in syndication. However, due to the recent sex abuse allegations, you'll be hard-pressed to find any repeats of the sitcom on air in the immediate future.
Several The Cosby Show marathons were planned between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and now the network is going to have to re-juggle its schedule for the next few weeks.
TV Land had no comment, but a source confirms the show has been pulled.
Earlier today, E! News confirmed that NBC pulled the plug on Cosby's proposed sitcom comeback and ceased development on the project after Netflix postponed Bill Cosby 77, a new standup special. The special, which was taped on Cosby's 77th birthday earlier this year, was set to debut on November 28.
Decades-old rape allegations against the former Cosby Show star recently resurfaced after comedian Hannibal Buress referred to them during a standup set. One of the women who had made the past allegations against Cosby wrote an opinion piece in the paper, and recently, America's Next Top Model veteran judge Janice Dickinson came out and claimed that Cosby sexually assaulted her.
Cosby's lawyer has denied Dickinson's claims and in response to queries about the past allegations issued this statement on BillCosby.com:
"Over the last several weeks, decade-old, discredited allegations against Mr. Cosby have resurfaced," the lawyer said. "The fact that they are being repeated does not make them true. Mr. Cosby does not intend to dignify these allegations with any comment," John P. Schmitt said in a statement. "He would like to thank all his fans for the outpouring of support and assure them that, at age 77, he is doing his best work," the message added. "There will be no further statement from Mr. Cosby or any of his representatives."
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news of TV Land pulling The Cosby Show reruns.